Decorative wall panel system

ABSTRACT

A wall paneling system is provided in which panels of various widths are pre-fabricated with raised moldings. The panels are thin enough to be easily cut, if necessary, and applied to a wall by an inexperienced installer with adhesive. Various chair rails and baseboards are provided. By providing the panels in different standard widths, they can be easily pieced together to cover walls of any length, thereby enabling an inexperienced installer to easily complete the lower wall paneling of an entire room. Corner moldings are provided to cover any gaps where the panels meet in corners of a room.

[0001] This provisional application includes the followingspecification, six sheets of patent drawings, and two sheets ofApplicant's preliminary promotional materials entitled “Southampton WallPanels.”

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates generally to decorative wallpanels, and more particularly to a wall panel system which is economicalto manufacture and sell, and can be installed by a homeowner withoutprofessional design or carpentry assistance.

[0003] Various types of wall panel systems are known in the art. Forexample, one quarter inch paneling is available for finishing basementsand other rooms of the house. Such paneling is sold in various stylesand generally is provided in panel sizes that are 4′ wide by 8′ high.Such panels are available in various different finishes, and often havevertical grooves. However, such paneling sheets do not have raised paneldesigns such as found in more expensive custom cabinetry, wainscoting,and the like. Moreover, such prior art panels are designed to cover awall from floor to ceiling, and not to cover the lower portion (e.g.,32″ or so in height) of a wall.

[0004] Although custom designed lower wall panel systems and wainscothave been used in homes for many years, such solutions have generallybeen custom crafted at the homeowner's premises by experiencedprofessional finish carpenters. Often, the panel systems areapproximately 32″ high and are topped off by a chair rail. The carpenterwill generally use wainscoting, formed from individually assembledvertical strips of wood, on an interior wall. Any raised panel effectsare individually crafted from desired moldings. The labor intensiveprocess of applying such wall systems is very expensive. Accordingly,such decorative wall treatments are typically found only in expensivehomes.

[0005] It would be advantageous to provide a decorative wall treatmentthat simulates expensive custom crafted treatments, but is inexpensiveand easy for a homeowner to install without professional assistance. Thepresent invention relates to such a system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] In accordance with the present invention, prefabricated walltreatment panels are provided in a variety of sizes in order to simulatethe appearance of expensive, hand crafted wall treatment systems. Thepanels of the present invention are formed of relatively low costmaterials, such as thin (e.g., ⅛ ″or ¼″ thick) plywood with a finishveneer in oak, cherry, walnut, or the like. The panels can alternativelybe fabricated from any other suitable material, such as pressboard,plastic, manufactured wood substitutes, and the like. The panels of theinvention are sized to fit the lower part of an interior wall (e.g., 24″to 32″ high) and come in a variety of widths so that they can beassembled with minimal cutting and to fit any size interior wall when aplurality of such panels are combined. Wall panels without a finishveneer can also be provided for painting.

[0007] In one embodiment, the panels of the present invention areprovided with pre-mounted raised moldings, which can be separate piecesof wood, plastic or the like fastened to the panels by the manufacturer.Alternatively, the panels can be manufactured in a press or the like,such that the raised moldings are actually part of the panel itself.Such pressed panels can be made from manufactured wood, particle board,plastic, or the like.

[0008] It is anticipated that such panels will be sold in kits, wherebya homeowner purchases panels in the various widths needed to coverpre-existing walls from corner to corner, together with necessary trimmoldings such as baseboard, chair rails and corner moldings to provide afinished installation. Alternatively, the base molding and chair railcan be attached to the panels by the manufacturer, so that all thehomeowner has to do is purchase the proper width panels, trim them asnecessary around windows and other wall mounted fixtures, and fastenthem to the wall, e g., by glue, nails, double sided tape, or other easyto use fastener. It should be appreciated that since the panels willonly be sold in certain standard sizes, some vertical trimming of thepanels may be necessary by the homeowner. However, since the panels arethin and easy to cut, the installation will still be simple. Moreover,with proper planning as to the panel sizes purchased, the homeowner canminimize the amount of cutting necessary.

BRIEF DECRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009]FIG. 1 is a plan view of an example wide double raised paneldesign in accordance with the present invention;

[0010]FIG. 2 illustrates an example narrow single raised panel design inaccordance with the present invention;

[0011]FIG. 3 illustrates a wide single panel design in accordance withthe present invention;

[0012]FIG. 4 is a back view of the panel of FIG. 1, the back views ofpanels 2 and 3 being similar except for the overall width;

[0013]FIG. 5 is a side view of the panel of any of FIGS. 1 to 3;

[0014]FIG. 6 illustrates a chair rail that can be used on top of any ofthe panels of FIGS. 1 to 3;

[0015]FIG. 7 is a side view of the chair rail of FIG. 6;

[0016]FIG. 8 illustrates a base molding that can be used with any of thepanels of FIGS. 1 to 3;

[0017]FIG. 9 is a side view of the base molding of FIG. 8;

[0018]FIG. 10 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a base molding;

[0019]FIG. 11 is a side view of the base molding of FIG. 10;

[0020]FIG. 12 is a top view of any of the panels of FIGS. 1 to 3,without a chair rail placed thereon;

[0021]FIG. 13 illustrates the packaging of supplemental moldings whichmay be purchased by the homeowner in a plastic bag or the like;

[0022]FIG. 14 is a cross section of a corner molding in accordance withthe present invention;

[0023]FIG. 15 is a front and left side perspective view of an assemblyof three separate wall panels in accordance with the present invention;and

[0024]FIG. 16 illustrates a finished wall showing the paneling system ofthe present invention on the lower portion of the wall and decorativeitems hung on a plain wall surface thereabove.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] The present invention provides a series of panels and associatedaccessories for use in providing an upgraded and classically finishedlook to residential and commercial walls. The wall paneling system canbe provided in any of a variety of finishes to match many decors.Paintable panels and accessories are also contemplated.

[0026] Installation of the paneling system is simple, and is facilitatedby the use of thin panels, on the order of ⅛″ to ¼″ in thickness. Simplewood glue, double sided tape, finishing nails, or other easy to useadhesive can be used to hang the panels on a pre-existing wall. Althoughthe panels will be manufactured with raised moldings in the preferredembodiment, accessory moldings will also be available which can simplybe glued on with any well known adhesive. These accessory moldings canbe used to customize the look of the prefabricated panels, or to provideraised panel effects on plain panels, e.g., where it is difficult tocomplete a corner-to-corner installation on a wall using the inventiveprefabricated panels which are sold in only a limited number ofpredetermined widths.

[0027] Moldings which can be prefabricated onto the panels by themanufacturer include raised panel moldings 22 a, 22 b, 22 c and 22 d asshown mounted on panel 20 in FIG. 1. The completed, prefabricated panelof FIG. 1 is generally designated by reference numeral 18. Althoughprefabricated panel 18 has a width of, e.g., 48″, and contains tworaised rectangles, other size panels will also be provided. For example,FIG. 2 shows a narrow panel, e.g., 12″ in width, with a single raisedrectangle prefabricated thereon using moldings 26 a, 26 b, 26 c and 26d. A plurality of completed panels 24 of FIG. 2 can be used together,e.g., with one or more panels 18 of FIG. 1, to create a custom look andfill out the entire width of a wall. For example, where a six foot widewall portion is to be covered, a 48″ panel 18 can be combined with two12″ panels 24 along seams 60 to create an overall length of six feet, asshown in FIGS. 15 and 16. The combined six foot assembly 53 isillustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16 with the chair rail 38 and base molding50 already attached. In a preferred embodiment, these items will beattached by the manufacturer, so that the homeowner does not have toseparately install the chair rail and base molding. However, the panels,chair rail and base molding can also be sold separately for homeownerinstallation, which provides a more custom look.

[0028] Other size panels can also be provided, such as illustrated inFIG. 3. For example, FIG. 3 can comprise a 24″ wide panel 28, with asingle square or rectangular raised panel formed by moldings 30 a, 30 b,30 c and 30 d. It should be appreciated that other widths can also beprovided to increase the homeowner's choice and facilitatethe-installation of a complete wall panel assembly on any size wall. Itis further noted that the panels of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are all of the sameheight. For example, the panels can be provided in a standard 30″ heightso that with a chair rail and base molding, a conventional 32″ heightfrom floor to top of the chair rail will be achieved. The actual sizesof the panels and accessory moldings and chair rails will be chosen bythe manufacturer depending on the extent of the paneling product line tobe offered to the consumer.

[0029] Although the raised moldings illustrated on the panels of each ofFIGS. 1 to 3 can be fabricated of separate wood components, they mayalso be pressed into the panels if the panels are made of a suitablematerial, such as pressed board or plastic. Techniques for pressingdesigns into such materials are well known in the art.

[0030]FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate back and side views of the panels,respectively. FIGS. 6 to 11 illustrate various moldings that can be usedwith the wall panels. For example, FIG. 6 illustrates a chair rail 38and FIG. 7 illustrates the side view thereof. Similarly, FIGS. 8 and 10illustrate two different types of base molding 44, 50, respectively.FIGS. 9 and 11 illustrate side views of the base moldings 44 and 50. Ascan be seen, the chair rail of FIG. 6 includes a lip 39 for simplifyingand registering the installation of the chair rail onto a panel, e.g.,panel 20 or a series of panels as shown in FIG. 15.

[0031]FIG. 12 illustrates a top edge view of the wall panel without thechair rail installed. It will be appreciated that the bottom edge viewis identical.

[0032]FIG. 13 illustrates accessory moldings 58 which can be packaged,for example, in a see-through plastic bag 56 having a closure 54 forhanging and/or labeling the product at a retail establishment. Themoldings 58, which are provided in different sizes, can be used, forexample, to create effects such as the double raised panels illustratedin FIG. 16.

[0033]FIG. 14 shows a corner molding 52 that can be adhesively mountedby the homeowner where the panels join in corners of a room. The size ofthe corner molding is such that it easily hides gaps between theadjacent panels at the corners. This facilitates the completion of awall paneling project on different size walls using predetermined widthpanels offered by the manufacturer.

[0034] The panels and moldings can be provided in any desired finish,such as in a cherry stain, oak stain, antique white (which can bepainted by the homeowner) and the like.

[0035] Advantageously, the panels and moldings will be sold with simpleinstructions for teaching the homeowner how to optimize the measurementof a wall, select appropriate wall panel widths, and simplify theoverall installation of the panels.

[0036] It should now be appreciated that the present invention provideselegant looking lower wall panel systems of wood, plastic or othermaterials that are desirable for use in upgrading the look ofresidences, offices, restaurants and the like. The inventive wall panelsystem obviates the need for expensive custom made cabinetry and/orskilled carpenters and designers. Both wainscot style panels of verticalslatted design and raised panel designs (as illustrated herein) can beprovided in accordance with the invention. Plain, finished or unfinishedpanels can also be provided for painting and/or customizing by thehomeowner/installer. The lower wall panel system is provided withsufficient moldings and accessories to satisfy the needs of interiordesigners, homeowners, architects and others who desire to easilyupgrade the look of residences and commercial buildings.

[0037] Although the invention has been described in connection withvarious specific embodiments, it should be appreciated that numerousadaptations and modifications may be made thereto without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wall panel system comprising pre-finishedpanels including raised moldings, said panels having a thickness thatfacilitates their easy cutting and mounting on walls by an adhesive. 2.The wall paneling system of claim 1, further comprising a chair rail andbaseboard molding pre-fabricated onto the panel.